'Black Panther,' 4 weeks in, tops 'A Wrinkle in Time'

While Ava DuVernay's "A Wrinkle in Time" came in second place at the box office this weekend, the Disney release only opened to $33.3 million against a reported $103 million budget.

Disney notes that "Black Panther" is the fifth film in its Marvel universe to reach the milestone.

The PG-rated film was directed by Ava DuVernay and stars Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and Chris Pine. A little more worrisome is the film's "B" CinemaScore, a grade that apparently was driven down by older moviegoers, because the film's younger female target audience enjoyed the movie more. There's no word on the film's production budget, but unless it was made for a couple million dollars, it won't make it out of this sticky situation.

After more than five decades of being appreciated as a classic of children's literature, and 15 years after a TV movie version failed to impress, A Wrinkle in Time has finally received the big screen treatment, with director Ava DuVernay's adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's book now playing in theaters. In the film, Meg and her brother, Charles Wallace, are black.

Next weekend sees the release of Tomb Raider, which will certainly shake up the box office once again. The movie had been expected to challenge Black Panther for the top spot, but fell short of pre-release expectations of a $50 million opening amid weak reviews and poor word of mouth. "We're feeling good about this start. Ava is inclusion, equity and representation". Movie critics praised the visual imagination of A Wrinkle in Time and its messages of diversity and empowerment. He noted that Disney has traditionally opened a family film in early March to take advantage of the family demographic, as it did past year with "Beauty and the Beast" and in 2016 with "Zootopia". Its ten-day domestic total stands at $31.1 million, while its global box office is up to $51.8 million.

The opening of Aviron Pictures' "The Strangers: Prey at Night" led the rest of the pack in third with $10.4 million at 2,464 venues.

Jennifer Lawrence's smutty spy thriller 'Red Sparrow' took a beating at the box office over its second week. Falling just 24% in attendance, the comedy added another $7.9 million to its domestic gross, which now sits at $45 million.

Bruce Willis' Death Wish dropped 49% and four places with $6.6 million and $23.9 million grossed so far. Finally, the box-office stalwart of the past twelve weeks, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle finished in the tenth spot to bring its cumulative total to a whopping $397.3 million. The cast also includes Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Amanda Seyfried and Thandie Newton.

The Shape of Water took in $2.4 million in its first weekend as victor of the Best Picture Oscar. "Shape" has grossed $61 million in 101 days. Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke portray childhood friends who reconnect in suburban CT after years of growing apart. The actor died at age 26 in a freak accident in 2016. Warner Bros.is also launching action-adventure "Tomb Raider", starring Alicia Vikander, in around 3,600 locations.